


The task

by Sketchy_Vore



Series: Undertale vore one-shots (from Tumblr) [3]
Category: Undertale (Video Game), underswap
Genre: Alternate Universe - Underswap (Undertale), Dragons, Endosoma, Fairy Tale Elements, Gen, Hot Spring, Knights - Freeform, Monsters, Non-fatal vore, Non-sexual vore, Platonic vore, Underswap Papyrus (Undertale), Underswap Sans (Undertale), Vore, asian type dragon, dragontaur, endo, friendly dragons, new start, safe vore, treasure, western dragon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-26
Updated: 2018-11-26
Packaged: 2019-08-29 18:02:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 13,210
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16748980
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sketchy_Vore/pseuds/Sketchy_Vore
Summary: Chara knows it's unrealistic, but they're either gonna survive this or make their killer die trying. Luckily, no one has to die today!a.k.a.: Dragons, treasure, and a young knight, but it's simultaneously more depressing but also friendlier than it sounds at first.





	The task

**Author's Note:**

> Maybe not one of my fluffiest vore stories, but it's been bouncing around my head for too long. And I didn't quite mean for it to get this long or messy either.

Many had done this song and dance before me, none had succeeded.

 

Some of us had gone as volunteers, some had been forced to go. All the same, none ever returned. At the same time each year, names were written down and put in a bowl. Names of volunteers, names of people in debt, names of criminals, names of unwanted children once they were old enough. I was that last one.

 

Ever since the age of 8, my mother couldn’t wait to get rid of me, and at the age of 12, my name was finally drawn. For a year I was trained. Fighting, moving in armor, weapons, a bit of horseback riding.

 

Only enough to get up to this place in the mountains though, to the dragon’s den.

 

We were supposed to beat the beast so that it’s treasures could be brought back down to the village. The one who accomplished the task would be made a hero, and live the rest of his or her life as royalty in wealth and leisure.

 

Or alternatively, the ones who failed would become the beast’s meal. The horse would find its way down the mountain again, and another name would be drawn.

 

And now that I stood in front of the cavern’s maw, a small part of me hoped for a little bit of luck. To return victorious and rub it in my mother’s face. But realistically, I knew I didn’t stand a chance. Much bigger, stronger, and more eager, professional knights had attempted and failed. So it was with trembling legs that I stepped in.

 

The entrance was pretty barren, a simple tunnel of gray stone that wound and carved deep into the mountain. It was cold and damp as I followed the path, the floor smooth from years of rain…and use by the dragon.

 

I really had no idea what to expect from the beast. No one that confronted it ever returned. So I had no idea what it looked like, if it had any weaknesses, or even wings. All we ever found of its existence were its mighty roars in the distance, on a few occasions blue or orange scales, a building burned in the night, and reports of piles of stolen gold.

 

…speaking of which. I had finally reached the back cavern and there were mountains upon mountains of gold here. It was all piled into neat mounds, leaving large spaces of floor to walk between them. But there wasn’t just gold there, between the shining pile of yellow, there was also a beautiful display of color in the form of precious stones and jewels.

 

But besides all the pomp and splendor, there was another, darker pile against the wall. A pile stacked high with weapons and armor of all sorts of metal, wood, and leather. The sight and the sheer size of it, most likely from people from not just mine, but multiple villages, was enough to cause my courage to sink into my shoes. My eyes searched on to find the convict of all these horrors.

 

There were a few holes near the roof to let in several beams of sunlight to reflect on all those riches and casting beautiful lights onto the walls. The shimmering display wasn’t just blinding either, the reflecting light managed to light up most of the cave. But back there, in one of the darker corners of the cavern, there was movement.

 

One of the lower piles was regularly shifting, moving up and down and the soft ringing of falling coins echoing throughout the room now and then. I slowly crept over and finally, I lay my first look on the… dragon?

 

Well, it still looked like a dragon, but different. It also looked like a centaur, but not. Just imagine taking one, but the horse body is a giant, orange, wingless drake and the human body is, well, skeletal. But even that human-like upper body was twice as tall as the entire body of a fully grown man! And on top of his skull, he had rounded deer antlers. Attached to the lower ribs and running down all the way to the dragon-body’s belly there was completely transparent skin, but the sides of the dragon body were covered in scales that looked like they were made of thick, orange opal-glass.

 

Between its appearance and size, I was shaking in my boots. It seemed to be asleep though, flanks slowly rising. The coins on its body had settled enough that only the occasional deeper inhale threw a few off, there was even a little tower of them neatly piled onto its skull somehow.

 

Was I really this lucky?

 

With that thought, I slowly started to sneak closer.

 

Carefully tiptoeing through the coins scattered on the floor, I was able to reach the creatures face.

 

Okay, now what? How was I supposed to kill something that didn’t have a heart? Or brains? Should I try to get it crushed under rocks somehow? Maybe I should have thought about this before sneaking closer.

 

HUMAN!”

 

I jumped several feet into the air as a loud, excited voice reverberated through the room. It took me a moment, but eventually, my gaze found its way up, to a ledge above me. There sat another dragon-thing. This one was a brilliant dodger blue in color, shorter, with a rounder face, and curved pointier horns. To my astonishment, as it came sailing down and dropped to the ground behind me, I saw it had  _ huge _ wings. They were attached to the lower skeletal back and with crystal clear membranes that reached all the way back to right behind the dragon half’s hind legs.

 

No one had ever said anything about TWO dragons!

 

When it’s large eyes turned towards me though, there wasn’t any anger or bloodlust, but eagerness and fortitude—which was somehow more terrifying.

 

“YOU MUST BE A NEW MERCENARY, TRYING TO STEAL OUR GOLD. MWEHEHEH, GOOD LUCK TRYING BUT I, THE MAGNIFICENT SANS, WILL STOP YOU!”

 

I just stood there, stunned silent. Was this for real? Was he really gonna monologue like some kind of villain instead of trying to catch me by surprise? Apparently, he was. He just did.

 

The dragon sized me up for another moment before his eyes seemed to focus behind me.

 

“WHAT DO YOU THINK, BROTHER?”

“harmless.”

 

I whipped around to see the other dragon awake as well. He was lying there on his side with his head propped up in his hand. He looked at me with lazy eyes, though I could still feel a shiver going down my back. He looked very much awake, as if he had been paying attention the whole time. That little pile of coins was still perfectly balanced on his head.

 

“they trained, just like the rest, but they couldn’t kill a bird if it stole their bread. Mind if i sit this one out?”

 

‘They’. Despite my fear, something warm settled in my chest at the pronoun. I had been called ‘her’ and ‘him’ many times and not felt right, and when I tried to explain I had even been called ‘it’. But ‘them’ just felt…right.

 

“ARGH! YOU’RE SUCH A LAZYBONES PAPY!”

 

I was startled out of my pondering by Sans’s loud exclamation as he stomped his front (middle?) paws against the ground.

 

“ALRIGHT THEN, HUMAN, I CHALLENGE YOU TO A BATTLE! IF YOU WIN, YOU GET THE TREASURE. BUT IF I WIN, YOU’LL JOIN THE OTHERS.”

 

My mind went back to the pile of morbid mementos, and I shuddered.

 

The dragon kneaded his claws into the floor, leaving behind long marks in the stone, and rolled his shoulders.

 

“READY HUMAN?”

 

I quickly lifted my sword, and in the next second, he pounced.

 

I tried my best, I really did. And for a while, I actually seemed to be doing okay. I wasn’t gaining much ground, but I also hadn’t been torn to bits yet. That didn’t mean I was in top condition anymore.

 

But I wasn’t giving up yet. I was determined to give this creature one hell of a fight. I might not be as strong or as skilled as true knights, but I didn’t want to disappear into oblivion. I would give this creature a fight he’d remember, or at least a scar to remember me by every time it caught his sight. But I wasn’t quite there yet.

 

The dragon— _ Sans _ —was fast. Lightning fast. His attacks were elegant and seemed to have a fast rhythm to them, almost like he was performing a well-practiced dance instead of battling me to the death, and he was leading. And he seemed to be… encouraging me? He would compliment me on an elegant dive to avoid his tail, or on how quickly I reacted to an unexpected move. He even commented on how pretty a clang between his claws and my sword sounded. I didn’t know whether to be unnerved or comforted by it. And to my dismay, while my muscles started aching and my breath grew short, he didn't seem to tire.

 

One moment of distraction, a little flicker of light flashed in my eyes, and I was suddenly on the ground. I wheezed out as a huge paw came down on top of my chest, claws digging into the ground around me. He seemed to refrain from leaning all of his weight onto me though, putting just enough pressure to restrain but not crush me. In the next second, I hear the clang of my sword hitting stone a few feet away from me.

 

“MWEHEHEH, I GOT YOU HUMAN! I WIN!”

 

No. Nonononono, I wasn’t ready to die yet! I frantically struggled against the paw, desperately trying to pry those huge claws away or to wiggle myself from underneath it. I could feel my nose starting to itch and hurt as my eyes wanted to release tears in despair, but I pushed it back as I searched around for a way out. Round, round, diamond, round, big round, cup, round, LONG-SHARP! I grabbed the object and jabbed it down into the dragon’s paw as hard as I could. There was a surprised yelp and the claws were gone.

 

I scrambled back and got up, trying to make sense of the situation. Sans had moved to sit back on his haunches. He was holding his paw between his skeletal hands as he picked the object I had used to stab him with from his wound. It turned out to be an ornate drinking horn of sorts, which he was staring at with wide, startled eyes. Noting that the creature was preoccupied, I looked at the other one and flinched.

 

The other dragon, Papyrus, had turned onto his belly and the skeletal half of his body was ‘sitting’ up, his eyes trained on me. More coins had slid off of his body as if he had at least made a move to jump to his brother’s aid. He was giving me this piercing stare, making something in my stomach clench and twist with discomfort. My attention was drawn back to Sans by a loud gasp.

 

I was absolutely stumped by this guy once again, as there wasn’t any anger, frustration, or even fear, but complete elation on his face. His smile was so wide it nearly split his face in two, and the lights in his eyes seemed to sparkle.

 

“OH MY GOSH HUMAN THAT WAS AMAZING! THAT WAS SO SO SO SO SMART!!! HONESTLY I THOUGHT I HAD YOU THERE FOR A MOMENT, BUT THEN YOU JUST OBSERVED YOUR SURROUNDINGS, GRABBED YOUR NEW WEAPON, AND  **WHAM** ! THAT WAS AWESOME, MWEHEHEEEEEE!!!”

 

He excitedly bounced around from one paw onto the other, pain completely forgotten—or maybe just insignificant. At the sight of his brother appearing fine, Papyrus slowly went to make himself comfortable again, eyes finally breaking their imposing stare.

 

I tensed again though as Sans suddenly rushed forward towards me, but all he did was nearly headbutt me with how close his face was to mine.

 

“HUMAN, CHANGE OF THE RULES! FEEL FREE TO PICK ANY WEAPON THAT YOU CAN FIND IN OUR CAVE. TAKE AS MUCH AS YOU LIKE, BE CREATIVE, AND GOOD LUCK.”

 

It took me a moment to process what he just told me, but when I did I immediately rushed to that pile of weapons and armor. I dared only a quick glance over my shoulder to see the blue dragon. He sat hunched down, wiggling his body like a huge parody of a cat preparing to pounce on a mouse. I decided to focus on what was in front of me; take the quickest route, don’t trip, get to that pile. About halfway, I heard a loud stomping come after me.

 

As the sounds stopped for one second, I quickly swerved to the side. A rush of air slew right by my back as the huge dragon came crashing down behind me, accompanied by the sound of falling chests, ringing coins, and a loud exclamation of ‘OH FUDGE!’. I might have laughed if I wasn’t already choking on my fear. I continued to run for the pile as the stomping behind me resumed, snatched the nearest sword I could reach, and turned just in time to have metal clash with claws once again.

 

This was gonna be hard, I could tell already. Sans had been holding back before. I was forced to use several different weapons, be creative with what I had and what I knew. And the oversized lizard still didn’t break a sweat, or looked mildly tired even. He was just gonna work his way up, wasn’t he? Making me think I had a chance and once I showed another trick up my sleeve, he’d just adjust to match.

 

And even if by some miracle, even if I was able to…  _ kill _ him… that wouldn’t be the end, wouldn’t it? The other one, Papyrus, I highly doubted he would let me leave with the gold if I slew his brother. Something about him told me he wouldn’t go as easy on me as his brother. My head would be next on the chopping board.

 

I couldn’t do this.

 

I knew I couldn’t kill the blue dragon. And it wasn’t even a matter of being able to. Even if I got lucky I just… couldn’t. The orange one even said so himself. This was a hopeless endeavor. All I could really do was try to stay alive. But eventually, my luck would run out. Eventually, I would get tired, make a mistake, or be just a moment too slow.

 

I had no chance to get out of this alive.

 

I was startled out of my thought by a gentle tap on my arm.

 

“ERM, HUMAN? H-HUMAN?”

 

Oh, I was on my knees now. My legs felt shaky and I just… sat there. In front of a giant predator that was lightly but insistently poking me with his paw. I must have drifted off and my legs had given out while I had my little revelation. I was actually a little surprised I wasn’t dead yet.

 

“ARE YOU OKAY?”

 

Such a silly question to ask someone you where going to kill. I let out a breathy laugh. And I laughed some more, taking deeper breaths so it didn’t sound as pathetic. I kept on giggling and it kept on getting louder and louder. And there were tears streaming down my face. Oh, guess I’m crying now. My laughter was starting to sound more like sobs and screams in despair.

 

I felt sick. Everything was hurting. I let go of whatever weapon I was clasping in my hand and instead grasped at my stomach. I doubled forward as I felt something burning clawing up my throat. Luckily all that left my mouth was a little dribble of bile. Despite the foul taste and odor, I rested my head against the floor. It was cold, it felt good against my heated skin. For now, this felt like a great place to just cry.

 

And that’s all I did for a while.

 

A few minutes passed without anything happening. No teeth, no claws, no fire, no mocking laughter or triumphant boasting. Just dead silence. Then, two skeletal hands wrapped around me. If I had any fight left, I might have actually been able to break his grasp, so tender were those hands as I was lifted off the cold stone floor. In the back of my mind, I wondered how I was gonna go. Torn to bits? Chewed up or swallowed whole? Maybe they would be merciful and snap my neck.

 

After a few slow seconds of being lifted up and up, I was pressed against another hard and irregular surface. I pried open one icky-feeling eyelid but all I could see through my tears were broad lines of white with blue gaps between them. Hu, guess he was pressing me against his ribcage- wait, was he hugging me?

 

Things got even stranger as large fingers gently started to brush along my head ad part of my back.

 

“SHHHHHH, HUMAN. PLEASE DON’T CRY. I KNOW YOU ALL COME HERE WITH HIGH HOPES AND YOU DID PRETTY GOOD, BUT YOU COULDN’T HAVE WON. IT’S JUST CRUEL AND UNFAIR OF THEM TO SEND LITTLE KIDS LIKE YOU HERE. I MEAN, THERE HAVE BEEN EVEN BIGGER AND BETTER TRAINED HUMANS THAT CAME HERE AND TRIED TO TAKE US ON AND THEY DIDN’T WIN EITHER. YOU NEVER EVEN HAD A CHANCE.”

 

Hah, you don’t say!? I wanted to scoff, but what came out instead was another pathetic sob.

 

"sans.” I could practically hear the frown in Papyrus’s voice… wait, when did he get over here? I didn’t even hear him get out from underneath that pile of coins or walk over.

 

I felt Sans give the tiniest of flinches.

 

“B-BUT HEY, YOU DID A REALLY GOOD JOB! THERE WERE SOME EVEN OLDER THAN YOU THAT DID MUCH WORSE. WE’VE HAD A FEW PEOPLE HERE THAT STARTED CRYING JUST SEEING US. BUT YOU WERE SO BRAVE AND EVEN IF YOU HAD LIMITED TRAINING YOU STILL HELD OUT LONGER THAN THE AVERAGE MERCENARY. YOU DID REALLY GREAT, YOU DID MAGNIFICENT EVEN, IF I DO SAY SO MYSELF. YOU WERE SO COOL, YOU WERE-”

 

“sans.”

 

The other dragon interrupted him again, though this time there was amusement in their voice. There was a little moment of silence before I felt knuckles from a slightly larger hand gently brush against my side. startled, I flinched a little closer against Sans’s ribs.

 

“i’m sure the human is flattered, but i also think they’re overwhelmed. how’s about you just give them a moment to calm down first?”

 

“OH, OF COURSE. MWEHEH.”

 

After that, time was kind of a blur. Not much happened. Sometimes, Sans would lightly bounce or rock me in his arms, like I was some kind of big baby. Though I guess I was acting like a big baby, wasn’t I? Crying like one. But the two dragons didn’t complain about it, so I just took my time to cry until I calmed down. It was strange they were allowing me to, though.

 

Once some of my composure was back, I rubbed the gunk out of my eyes and turned to face the two dragons again. Sans looked kinda worried, but seemed to cheer up a bit as our eyes met. Papyrus’s eyes, though, were staring right through me. Well, at least his stare wasn’t doing creepy things to me for once. Huh, he still had that tiny pile of coins on his head somehow.

 

“FEELING ANY BETTER, LITTLE HUMAN?”

 

I shook my head, and Sans’s face fell once more.

 

“WELL, I DID END UP WINNING… SO….”

 

“let me take this sans.”

 

Sans gave his brother a hesitant look before slowly handing me over.

 

“don’t worry bro, i’ll be gentle with them.” He reassured, giving the other dragon a lazy smile.

 

I didn’t move at first. They were talking about being gentle with me after all, and if Sans had shifted to comfort mode over a few tears, I couldn’t quite imagine him being a bloodthirsty monster. But then the orange brute slipped a long slim claw under my armor and WHAT THE FU-!?

 

I instantly startled to struggle again. The claw retreated, but instead, the fingers around me grasped a little tighter to keep me in place. “easy there, i’m just gonna take off that shell so you’ll be easier to swallow.”

 

Easier to WHA-?! OH HELL NO!

 

I desperately started to wiggle around, kicking my legs and trying to get my arms loose from his grasp. Suddenly I really wanted to get back into the grasp of that other dragon I’d been fighting for the past however long I’d been here. Even if he had willingly given me to his brother to be eaten, maybe he did because he himself wasn’t quite cruel enough to do it himself. I turned my pleading eyes toward him. He seemed to flinch slightly.

 

“PLEASE HOLD STILL HUMAN, IF YOU STRUGGLE LIKE THAT HE MIGHT ACCIDENTALLY CUT YOU. I-IT’S GONNA BE OKAY, REALLY.”

 

What!? Filthy liar! Didn’t you hear him? He’s gonna eat me! I’m gonna die in literally the most painful way possible! You filthy liars, thinking you can say whatever just because it makes getting what you want easier! LIARS! ALL OF THEM!

 

Everyone!

 

All of them.

 

All…

 

I didn’t want to admit it, but there were tears in my eyes again and my limbs went limp. I had been fighting for too long. No matter how determined I was to live, my body was screaming at me to stop. They say the soul was boundless, but my body was at its limit.

 

As soon as I stopped moving again, the long claw returned, feeling around for the straps of my leather armor and delicately cutting them. And as soon as a piece was loose enough on my frame, he would gently pull it off before flicking it onto the pile with the rest. Guess that’s where those came from. In the end, I was left in nothing but the gray shirt and pants I wore underneath. On one hand, it was a relief to get rid of that hot, heavy thing. But on the other, I now felt very vulnerable, more so than before.

 

“now,” The dragon spoke. "you don’t need to do anything, just let me take care of it. lucky you, letting me do all the work. just keep calm and stay limp.”

 

Yeah right, really comforting you big asshole! I threw another begging look to Sans, who actually seemed to shuffle uncomfortably. My gaze was broken when one of the skeletal hands grasped the back of my shirt and lifted me up over Papyrus’s head. As soon as I gathered the courage to look down, he opened his maw.

 

I let out an involuntary whimper at the sight. When I looked at the two very human-skeleton-looking heads of the two dragons, I had only seen straight-human-looking teeth. But as Papyrus stretched his jaws wide, a second row of long, sharp fangs was revealed. A long, orange tongue came rolling out of his maw, stretching and folding to cover his entire lower jaw as if he wanted to prevent me from being skewered on one of those deadly daggers. And then, I was lowered down.

 

I screwed my eyelids shut tight, not ready to accept my pending doom. I didn’t want to die! God, please, I didn’t want to die! I was supposed to get older and get out of that cold hut I called a home. I would have left the village entirely, find a little place in the meadow or the woods. I would have made a house there and take care of myself, away from all those ugly people with their ugly laws and ugly greed.

 

But I was once again reminded that it wasn’t meant to be as I felt something slimy and MOVING touch my legs and back. As soon as I wasn’t just hanging from those thin fingers anymore, they let go and I could feel my legs slide down. I didn’t think I would have any tears left, but somehow my body still found a way to cry more, like an extra ‘fuck you’ to my pathetic existence.

 

Something seemed to suddenly tighten around my legs and I was slightly sucked down with a wet gulping sound. I still refused to open my eyes though, instead blindly trying to turn around and grab at something. But with my legs being stuck it was hard to turn, and the slimy muscle underneath me didn’t offer any purchase to pull me back out. Before I could make a move to try and grab for something above me there was another swallow, pulling me away. I felt my surroundings getting warmer and heard a soft click all around, telling me I had been pulled down enough to be out of those fangs’ reach. Well, I didn’t feel pain from being bitten or something, so I had to be.

 

I scratched and clawed at his way too smooth tongue in fear, a part of my brain that was still furious hoping he would choke on me. And then a memory flashed through my mind. That one time I had a fishbone stuck in my throat and I had been forced to cough it back up.

 

Another huge swallow pulled the rest of me into his throat. Thinking quickly, I jammed both my elbows out in an attempt to get myself stuck. A hacking sound and twitching of the ‘flesh’ around me told me it was working. Well, somewhat at least. But then there was another ripple around me trying to push my arms back against me.

 

The first time I held fast.

 

But I could feel my arms wanting to give in. Maybe this was the plan. Make people fight Sans so they would be exhausted. And then the orange guy could eat them alive without too much trouble, when they were too tired to fight on. Well I’d be damned if I wasn’t gonna be as much of an inconvenience as I could.

 

My arms lost their grip for just a moment at the second swallow, but I corrected it.

 

The third time, my arms were pulled up and I went down.

 

Within just a few seconds I was deposited into a slightly roomier space. I instantly knew that meant I was inside his stomach, and it made my own feel like a brick dropped into it. But honestly, I was finally too tired to fight, both physically and mentally exhausted. And even if I could still earnestly thrash and claw at the jelly-like tissue around me, would it even really make a difference anymore?

 

My captor instantly started coughing as I was out of his esophagus. I could just make out muffled voices on the outside.

 

“OH MY GOSH PAPY! ARE YOU OKAY?”

 

The orange dragon answered as soon as his fit was over: “yeah, ugh. Little bugger had some fight left after all. Oh jeez.”

 

“WELL THAT’S WHAT YOU GET FOR SCARING THEM LIKE THAT! YOU SHOULD AT LEAST WARN THEM ABOUT WHAT YOU’RE GONNA DO.”

 

I felt a light pressure coming from outside near my back. I turned my head around to see what it was. Huge blue eyes were looking back at me, slightly distorted by the transparent stomach walls. A minimal amount of investigation revealed the thing pushing my back was one of his hands.

 

“IT’S OKAY HUMAN. NOTHING BAD WILL HAPPEN. IT’S JUST GONNA BE A BIT YUCKY, BUT THAT’S ALL. I PROMISE.”

 

I shot him back an angry frown. I wasn’t stupid, I knew what stomachs were for. Heck, I could feel a slight tingling crawling along my skin where it touched the walls as we speak. But, for some reason, I couldn’t really be that mad at Sans. He had acted so kind the whole time. Maybe it was just that, an act, but another part of my mind desperately wanted him to be an okay guy. That maybe he didn’t want me suffering too bad. That his lies were just his way to give comfort in a hopeless situation. But no matter the intent, he was still a…

  
  


‘Liar’ I mouthed to him, turning around again to curl up in as tight of a ball as I could manage. I was starting to feel dizzy—no, more like sleepy. If I fell unconscious now, would I be able to sleep through the pain? I felt another pressure against my side, and I spared just enough energy to glance and see what it was. A larger, slimmer hand.

 

“doesn't matter if you believe it or not, my brother is right you know. you’re just gonna be soft and warm, and not drowned. now just relax and let us take you to somewhere safe.”

 

Wait, ‘not drowned’? What even-

 

After that, my brain stopped being able to form coherent thoughts and everything turned black.

 

* * *

 

There was pressure everywhere. My eyes flew open to yellows and orange and everything was warm. By the time I realized I had limbs I could move, they were forcefully pushed against my sides and chest as the wall around me gave a hard shove.

 

For a moment there was only pressure. Then there was a flash of cold. And then, burning liquid.

 

I could actually hear my own scream between the rush of bubbles. This is it! I’m dead! I’m dead and I’m in hell, and either I’m being boiled in tar or this was that boiling river of blood some talked about! I felt something grab me hard around my waist. Yeah, definitely the river of blood, all who tried to escape doomed to be hunted down and dragged back! They did tell me this is where my anger issues would lead me.

 

But instead of being pushed further under, I was pulled up and out of the heat. As soon as I felt cool air hit my skin I went into a sputtering coughing fit, trying to get as much air as I could before I was dunked back in.

 

I wasn’t dunked back in. Instead, I was held up to continue gasping for air.

 

“HOLLY MACARONI HUMAN! YOU SHOULDN’T SCREAM IF THERE IS ONLY LIQUID TO BREATH! YOU COULD HAVE SERIOUSLY HURT YOURSELF.”

 

Wait, Sans? I rubbed my eyes and looked back at him, feeling a bit of relief at seeing… well, the devil I knew, I guess? What was he even doing in this place? He didn’t look like the type of personality that would hang out in hell. I mean, I guess he was kinda a centaur… dragon-taur, thing? … why was it so still here? No screams, no splashing, no mocking evil laughter. Instead, there was-

 

I looked to my left with a start at the sound of movement to see Papyrus slowly sliding into the…  _ water _ ? Not blood? … Yeah, that was water. What-?

  
  


I took a look at my hands just to be sure. No blood. And even though they looked a little red, there were no blisters or flesh that had been boiled off. I wasn’t really hurting anymore, but I was getting a bit cold. As soon as I started to shake again, Sans slowly lowered me back down. It burned a little bit for a few seconds, but as my skin got used to the temperature it was actually very pleasant.

 

“MWEHEHE, SEE HUMAN? WE TOLD YOU YOU WERE GOING TO BE OKAY.”

 

So, I wasn’t dead?

 

I looked around me to try and figure out where I was. Everything was completely quiet, except for the splashing of water and the two creatures with me. There hung a thin layer of mist around the pool of water, but I could see lush trees peeking out over the fog. And near the edge, behind the rocky banks, I could make out grass and even a few flowers. Okay, this was definitely not hell, but I hadn’t been a good enough kid to be in heaven. And if this was heaven I don’t think these dragons would be here. So by process of elimination, I’m alive?

 

A swish of water drew my attention towards the orange dragon, who seemed to have settled on the opposite end of the pool. The coils of his long, serpentine body were laying all over the place. It reminded me a bit of those old maps with serpentine sea monsters that had their bodies peek out of the water at random spots. And he was staring at me.

 

Only this time it didn’t feel as unsettling. If anything, his relaxed demeanor made me feel surprisingly calm for being stared at by the creature that I knew could, and would, eat me. After a few seconds of silently studying me, he slowly leaned forward and stretched out his arms towards me.

 

“let me get ‘em cleaned up bro.”

 

Instantly my anxiety was back and I looked back up to Sans. The blue dragon looked a bit hesitant himself, narrowing his eyes at his brother.

 

“PAPS…?”

 

“i scared them bro, they didn’t deserve that. just let me make it up to them.”

 

I trusted this dragon even less than his boisterous brother. But that pronoun he used, ‘them’, caused a pleasant warmth to bloom in my chest. And if he hadn’t hurt me, even if it was for his brother’s sake, it couldn’t be that bad. I slowly met Sans’s eyes and gave him a slow nod, causing him to slowly hand me over to Papyrus.

 

Said orange dragon took me from his hands with equal care. I was slowly pulled closer to him and sat me down on one of his submerged coils, so I was in the water up to my chest.

 

I instantly stiffened as I felt a much larger skeletal hand starting to rub at my back. I was thankfully still in my clothing, otherwise, I might have violently swatted at said appendage. But he was just kinda rubbed at the cloth like this.

 

“i’m gonna leave skin and stuff to you. more comfortable for you and less work for me.”

 

His low voice hummed in my ear, making a shudder travel up my spine at how close he sounded. Nonetheless, I was grateful for the privacy. I saw Sans pout and huff at his brother, but he didn’t say anything. Instead, he walked over and sat (laid?) down next to his brother with his front paws in the water.

 

I didn’t realize how dirty I was until Papyrus cupped some water unto his hands and let it drip through his metacarpals over my head. There were little flakes of dried something (maybe saliva or mucus) coming off of my skin as I rubbed at it, and from a year-long of harsh training and experience, I recognized the very distinct feeling of dried sweat and dust being washed away.

 

This was the first time the water wasn’t cold though. So instead of washing up as quickly as I could so I could get out and get myself dried off, I actually found myself taking my time. I lingered on my shoulders, continuing to cup water in my hands and rubbing it along my arms, even after the grime had come off. It was just so warm.

 

I startled again at the feeling of a hand on the back of my head, only now it was accompanied by two clawed fingers on my chest.

 

“lean back for a moment will ya? i’ll wash your hair real quick.”

 

Wait, nonononono. The fingers on my chest started to push, and I struggled to stay upright. No! Not gonna happen! Way too many people had pushed my head under to scrub at my hair. I did not want another lung-full of water. More pressure was added and I actually whimpered as little tremors that had nothing to do with temperature shook my chest. Even after resting, my muscles were still a little too cramped to fight the huge lizard.

 

“it’s okay, just gonna give you hair a little ruffle. i’m not gonna pull at it or drown you.”

 

Nope! No no no no!

 

More pressure was added and I was slowly going down.

 

NONONONONONONONONONONONONO!

 

The back of my head touched water and I gulped in a deep breath, one of my hands reaching around the fingers to pinch my nose. My ears and hairline went under water…and stopped. I held my breath a little longer, scared that he might dunk me under. But it stayed like that, laying on my back with my hair submerged, the large hand behind my head pushing up slightly to keep my face right above the surface. In my ears, there was nothing but the rippling of water, interrupted now and then by little splashes and swishes.

 

When I couldn’t hold my breath any longer, I took in another huge gulp. And when I wasn’t pushed under, I opened my eyes. Papyrus was looking back down at me, his smile a mixture of amusement and… pity? My face instantly set into a frown as I glared right back, shifting the look entirely to amusement.

 

“just stay still, okay?”

 

His voice was a little muffled by the water. I just kept on glaring. So he simply shrugged his shoulders and brought the hand that had been on my chest up to my head. I felt very nervous when I felt his claws starting to swirl through my hair.

 

I kept my eyes trained on the skeleton’s face though, even though his attention was entirely on what his hand was doing with my hair. Even if he said he wouldn’t hurt me, I still expected that some of my locks would at least get snagged on his joints. A few seconds of soft scrubbing later though, still no painful tugs. It even felt kinda nice.

 

I wanted to stay more alert. Life taught me that you always had to be cautious, always ready in case someone’s intentions weren’t what they said they were. But the rubs and gentle brushes of the dragon’s claws on my scalp just felt really good. Heck, I should be freaking out with his hands so close to such vital and vulnerable things as my eyes, neck, throat, and brain. But after a while, I can’t recall when exactly, my eyes closed to just enjoy the moment.

 

And suddenly there was wetness on my face.

 

Feeling the sudden rush of panic that he would dunk me anyways as some cruel joke, I took a deep breath and held it. No time to cover my nose, I could fix that when I resurfa- I wasn’t underwater?

 

As soon as I realized this, my eyes flew open and I was staring up at Papyrus, who was looking back at me with a mildly shocked look of his own, one of his hands aimlessly hanging in the air.

 

“PAPY! YOU SCARED THEM AGAIN!” Came Sans’s scolding voice, his cheeks puffed up, somehow, as he glared at the orange serpent.

 

“ah, sorry. you looked peaceful but also a still very tense. i just…kinda wanted to lighten the mood. sorry for startling you though.”

 

Despite Sans being the one that had gotten angry with him, he had looked at me while he…apologized? Did he apologize for scaring me?

 

There was an awkward silence as I stared back at him, trying to figure out if he really had been saying it to me. Or if he even meant it. He seemed to get uncomfortable, his eyes flickering away from my face and his hovering hand finally moving. He slowly dipped the index finger into the water before moving it over my head. My eyes went crossed as I tried to keep an eye on the tip of his sharp claw as it came to hover just a few inches away from my nose. The next second, another little droplet of water dripped onto my face.

 

“boop.”

 

I needed an entire full second to process what just happened. And when I did, I burst into helpless giggles.

 

I was just so relieved that he had pulled such a harmless prank, instead of letting me slip underwater or something. And then that little sound he made, ‘boop’, for some reason it was just so funny to hear the creature that I had feared my entire life say such a silly thing. And those two thoughts helped me to relax just a little bit more. Normally I might not have found that funny enough to laugh at. But right now, under these circumstances, it just tickled my funny bone.

 

And now I just made myself laugh even harder. And I welcomed it. For this entire time I had been so tense. I had been desperately preparing for the worst and scaring at the smallest thing. It was exhausting. And in that moment, that silly little moment of genuine fun, I realized how exhausted I was. Letting go for just a little moment felt great.

 

When I got enough self-control back, I looked up at the serpent above me to see another amused smile. Though there was also this strange little glimmer of…fondness in his eyes? I put a bit of my guard back up again. But this time, I allowed myself to think that maybe, just maybe, these two dragons really did have the best intentions with me?

 

“OH HUMAN, YOU HAVE A VOICE! WHY DIDN’T YOU TALK BEFORE? WHAT’S YOUR NAME?”

 

I flinched slightly, looking up into the blue dragon’s excited eyes. I wanted to talk, but after multiple slaps of a rod to the mouth, wearing an iron muzzle, or donkey ears in front of everyone when I said something stupid or out of line, I had kind of learned it’s better to keep your mouth shut. But I had been asked a question, would he get angry if I didn’t answer?

 

The hand under my head helped me to move upright again. Two hands lifted me up underneath my arms and I threw an uncertain look at Papyrus. But all he seemed to be doing was helping me sit up on his long body, another coil curling behind me to function as a backrest.

 

“easy there bro. maybe they can talk, but there might be a reason why they don’t want to. just give them a bit of time to recover, okay?”

 

… He was giving me that look again. That stupid look between amusement and pity. I knew people gave others that look when they felt sympathy for them, and I liked the thought. But seeing it directed towards me just made my blood boil. I wanted to talk, and if I wasn’t gonna be punished for it I was gonna talk damn it!

 

“My na-…I’m Chara.”

 

I tried to sound as loud and confident as I could, but to my embarrassment my voice still gave out for a second there. Thank God I would sing myself to sleep though. Otherwise, I might not have had a voice to speak of (or with) anymore. I still felt a spark of satisfaction as it whipped that stupid pity off the orange snake’s face, and replaced it instead with an almost proud smirk instead. Yeah, I liked that much better.

 

My efforts were rewarded some more with a wide grin accompanied by starry eyes. “WOWIE! NICE TO OFFICIALLY MEET YOU HUMAN CHARA.” Then that grin dropped slightly into worry. “YOUR VOICE DOESN’T SOUND SO GOOD THOUGH, MAYBE YOU HURT IT WHILE CRYING BEFORE. WHY DON’T YOU TRY DRINKING SOME WATER? THE SPRING IS REALLY CLEAN AND THE WARMTH WILL DO YOUR VOICE GOOD.”

 

I was a little hesitant, we had been bathing in this water after all, but I decided to cup some water in my hands and drink it anyway. Sans hadn’t lied to me last time after all.

 

… The water did taste good, even better than it had in the village. Back there, there was always a chance of some dirt or something ending up in your mug. But this was completely clean and tasted wonderful too, even if it was warm. Which made me wonder.

 

“H-how- erhem! How is this water so warm?”

 

Sans’s eyes lit up, looking all too pleased that I wanted to continue the conversation. “OH, THAT’S BECAUSE IT GETS WARMED UP BY THE BELLY OF THE EARTH.”

 

Okay, that sounded way too vague and ominous at the same time. I startled a little as an enormous hand (or rather a few fingers) landed on my shoulder.

 

“that’s the simplest way to say it. gimme a moment to think of an easy way to actually explain it.”

 

I know he didn’t say it, but after years of being treated as a dumb, disobedient child, I still heard  _ let me dumb it down for you _ . I knew I wasn’t very smart, I knew I learned a little slower than the other kids. I just hated that people always rubbed it into my face. But he hadn’t called me dumb, not even indirectly, so I did my best to reign in my bruised pride.

 

“let’s see… if you wrap yourself into a bunch of blankets where is it warmer? inside or outside?”

 

Well, that was a bit if a stupid question. “Inside.” He nodded along, giving me a calm smile.

 

“exactly. now you gotta think of the earth like this:” He patted the stones on the bank of the spring. “the surface of the earth is like a really, really thick blanket, and deep down underneath that there is something producing heat.”

 

I tensed up as I looked down into the water. “There is a giant living under the earth?!”

 

Papyrus seemed a bit taken aback by my question, before he promptly buts out into laughter. “oh stars no! well there are a few legends that say there is. but if that were true, if they got an itch in an awkward place, that would be one hell of a des-ass-ter.”

 

“PAPYRUS! LANGUAGE!”

 

The pun was so unexpected, and Sans’s exclamation was just so perfectly timed, I couldn’t help myself. Once again I burst out in a fit of laughter. God, after being stuck training under holy knights and being lectured for hours about purity I had almost forgotten about the joy of a good old dirty joke. A warm chuckle drew my attention back to Papyrus.

 

“okay bro, i’ll try to keep it in mind. anyways, no there are no giant creatures warming up the earth, though there is something deep down in the earth that keeps it warm. in fact, as you go deeper into the earth, it gets cold first, but then it just keeps getting warmer and warmer.”

 

“YEAH, AND YOU HAVE TO LOOK OUT WHERE YOU STEP IN THESE POOLS, BECAUSE THE LARGER ONES HAVE TUNNELS THAT GO VERY DEEP INTO THE EARTH, TO THOSE PLACES WHERE IT’S REALLY WARM.” Sans piped up, seemingly having forgotten about Papyrus’s rather crude sense of humor before. Papyrus seemed to be perfectly content just listening to his brother.

 

“THE WATER GOES DOWN THE HOLE, TO WHERE IT’S REALLY WARM, AND THEN THE POOL GETS HEATED UP. AND THAT’S HOW THE BELLY OF THE EARTH MAKES THE WATER WARM!” He looked entirely too pleased having explained that.

 

It sounded simple enough. But there was still a tiny detail that was bothering me.

 

“Than, if the surface of the earth is colder than deep underground, than how is the water still warm up here?”

 

Sans opened his mouth again to answer, but hesitated. And then confusion crossed his face. His face slowly twisted into a frown and he put his fist just below his mouth. After a few silent seconds he threw a helpless look at his brother.

 

“PAPY, I NEVER THOUGHT OF THAT.”

 

He hadn’t?

 

Papyrus gave me this  _ look _ . It was hard to describe, it was this weird mix of warm and smug, and he gave me a wink before answering his brother.

 

“really? didn’t notice. well when water changes temperature, its density changes. that means that a bucket of one temperature would be a different weight than water of another temperature, even if the difference is tiny. there are exceptions but as a rule of thumb, cold liquid water is heavier than warm water. So when the water near the surface cools, it sinks. and as it gets warmed up deep in the earth, it will drift up again.”

 

“AH, OKAY.” Sans replied with a look on his face like he was still processing the information.

 

I just nodded, satisfied with the answer. Both dragons seemed to be satisfied as well, sitting back and just enjoying the water. And we just stayed like that for a while.

 

Sans seemed to be sleeping sitting up with a straight back, or he was just surprisingly good at sitting still with his eyes closed. Contrary to that, Papyrus was the model picture of relaxation. Completely sagged down into the water, breathing slow, and his arms thrown over the rocks at the pool’s edge.

 

I didn’t feel relaxed at all aymore after a while. It had been nice at first, I kept a lazy eye on the two mythical creature as I sat back against Papyrus’s coils and enjoyed the water. After a while though, when my fingers started to get wrinkly, I started to feel some apprehension again.

 

“Papyrus?”

 

The serpent didn’t even open his eyes, just humming non-committedly in acknowledgement.

 

I could feel my hands starting to shake. “Why did you eat me like that?”

 

One eye did open this time, very much alert. No emotion showed on his face though.

 

“I mean, I was so scared. I thought I was gonna die. But if you didn’t eat me for food, then why? Did you even know I was gonna be okay in the first place?”

 

Papyrus just looked at me, his face unchanging for a few seconds. Then a kind smile tugged at the corners of his… jaw? How? He stretched out one of his arms and gently ruffled two of his long fingers through my hair.

 

“kiddo, not for one second did you need to fear either of us. from the very moment i read you, i wasn’t planning to let any real harm come to you. otherwise, i would have killed you before eating you. i can’t digest anything with a soul attached to it.”

 

Well, that was… a bit comforting? Though I absolutely did not want to know what would have happened if they had planned to kill me.

 

“As for why, take a look up.”

 

Up?

 

Through the fog I hadn’t been able to see very far around me. As soon as I did as he asked though, my jaw dropped. Walls of solid rock all ‘round. And not just close by, it looked like the walls towered high over my head and the opening at the top must have been miles wide. A thought popped into my mind.

 

“Are we inside the mountain?”

 

Papyrus raised a non-existent eyebrow (somehow) and smiled.

 

“heh, you figured that out surprisingly quickly.”

 

“THE WALLS REACH WAY TOO HIGH FOR A HUMAN TO CLIMB.”

 

I was a bit surprised to hear Sans explain, so I turned my attention to him.

 

“THE AIR UP THERE IS VERY HARD TO BREATH AND EVERY HUMAN I TRIED TO TAKE THAT WAY EITHER FAINTED BECAUSE THEY COULDN’T BREATH OR GOT VERY SICK. AND EVEN IF A HUMAN COULD CLIMB THAT HEIGHT WITHOUT FEELING BAD, THERE’S HARPIES UP THERE THAT WILL ATTACK ANYTHING THAT GETS TOO CLOSE TO THEIR NESTS.”

 

He turned his face back to me, his grin something between sheepish and maybe a little disgusted.

 

“THE LAST TIME I TRIED TO TAKE A HUMAN THAT WAY,  _ I _ HAD TO SWALLOW HIM SO THEY COULDN’T GET TO HIM.”

 

Last time he took a human? Before I could ask about it Papyrus continued.

 

“the other way are tunnels underneath the deeper ones of these pools. they can get pretty hot though, and I did try to take a human while holding their breath once. because frankly getting eaten alive  _ is _ pretty scary. but sadly, humans aren’t that good at holding their breath for over 30 minutes.”

 

Oh…

 

“So, you have brought other humans here?”

 

Sans made a little pained sound. “NOT…  _ ALL _ OF THEM…”

 

“all the ones that wouldn’t harm or exploit the rest of the people we brought here.”

 

There was something ominous in his voice, but he wasn’t looking at me. It wasn’t meant to be towards me. Which struck me as strange. My whole life I had done nothing but bring misery to the people around me. Though, maybe I should ask to be sure.

 

“And—what are you gonna do with me?”

 

“WE’RE TAKING YOU TO BE WITH THE OTHER KIND PEOPLE IN THE VILLAGE OF COURSE.”

 

Of course? “B…but I-”

 

Papyrus let out a resounding sigh and even though he didn’t have eyeballs I could hear them roll, but the hand he lightly rested against my arm felt gentle. Comforting. Like it wasn’t me he was fed up with.

 

“kiddo, you’ve probably been told a lot of mean things. But let me tell you: you’re not worthless, or a burden, or broken, or used goods, or etcetera and so on and so forth.”

 

“PAPY! WHY DO YOU DO IT LIKE THAT!? YOU HAVE TO WORK ON SOUNDING KINDER, THIS ISN’T GONNA MAKE IT BETTER!”

 

Papyrus groaned, but he gave my shoulder a gentle squeeze before turning to his brother.

 

“sorry bro, ’m just tired of this nonsense. ‘s not my fault most humans collectively decided to be fu-”

 

“LANGUAGE!”

 

“freakin’ basta-”

 

" ** LANGUAGE! ** ”

 

“aw come on bro, that word wasn’t even that bad.”

 

I smiled despite myself. Even with the implication that at least one of the brothers had no trouble killing humans if he thought they deserved it, I couldn’t quite bring myself to be scared. Papyrus was just acting like such a silly, laid-back oaf, and even though his brother was clearly peeved about it he did little more than scold him and puff up his cheeks. It was refreshing to see such tolerance.

 

“well if you think i’m no good comforting the poor kiddo, maybe we should take them to the expert. i think they’re clean enough for that now.”

 

I was gently picked up from my seat against the dragon's coils and lifted out of the water. The instant the air hit my wet clothing and skin though, I instantly started shuddering. Noooo, I wanted back. I don’t care if I get more wrinkly, this is too cold.

 

Papyrus shifted me until I was properly sitting in his hands, opened his mouth and took a deep breath. He hesitated though, as if thinking better of whatever he was planning to do.

 

“yeah, maybe you had a few surprises too many for today. you need some rest for now, so I’m just gonna tell you. ‘m gonna breath a little fire on you kiddo.”

 

“Breath a little WHAT on me?!” I hastily tried to scramble back in his hand, but his fingers quickly curled up to keep me from falling.

 

“hey now, easy there kiddy. ‘s not gonna hurt you, just some magic fire to get you dry and help with those cramping muscles.”

 

The tremors through my body had nothing to do with the cold this time. Though it wasn’t fear either, not entirely at least. I wanted to trust him. Both dragons had proven to be trustworthy up until now. They hadn’t hurt me, not yet at least, and though Papyrus seemed like the type to like pranking people, he had yet to do anything that was actually mean spirited or uncomfortable. The fact that I didn’t need to be on guard constantly was comforting.

 

But my brain was still screaming at me that they could turn any second. That this could be a very elaborate prank to give me hope and see it all viciously crushed before they ripped me to shreds.

 

I turned my eyes to Sans instead. At least he hadn’t tried to hold any truth from me in the short time I’d known him. I was fairly sure he’d do something if his brother was going to hurt me.

 

“DON’T LOOK AT ME. PAP’S FIRE IS ACTUALLY LESS DANGEROUS THAN MINE.”

 

“Less dangerous than…” I mumbled softly, drifting off into a little whimper.

 

I turned back to look at Papyrus who, come to think of it, had been patiently waiting for what my reaction would be. He still had that half amused look in his eyes, though there was a lot of softness there too. I swallowed the wad of saliva in my mouth and nodded as a go ahead. Papyrus took another breath and I shut my eyes tight.

 

And then there was heat.

 

It wasn’t quite that bad actually. Just quite a bit warmer than my own breath. It was dry though, like a warm summer evening breeze. The closest thing I could compare it to was a less scorching version of the draft that came out of the stove when you open it up.

 

I cautiously opened my eye, just a peek, to see that my skin did indeed look as if it was on fire. Bright, green colored flames danced and licked across my skin, looking very much like it was in the process of eating away at my hair and clothes. But there were no blisters or soot, and it felt like nothing more than warm air brushing along my arms and shoulder.

 

And as Papyrus had promised, the water was starting to evaporate from my hair and grey tunic, as was even more pain drained from my arms and legs. If anything, I felt much better, a lot more up to snuff then I had been in a while.

 

After a few more seconds of marveling at the flames flickering between my fingers, Papyrus stopped his impossibly long exhale, and along with it the fire faded out as well. Despite my previous apprehension, I was a bit disappointed. I missed the warmth already, even though I wasn’t nearly as cold as I was before.

 

A careful claw moved up over my head and gently started to straighten my hair out. I allowed it. I think at this point I could slowly put some more trust into this orange monster. Once he was content with his work, he drew back to look at me and gave a smile.

 

“there we go, much better. now you look a lot happier and more presentable.”

 

“NOW TO MAKE  _ YOU _ LOOK PRESENTABLE.”

 

What looked like an orange wad of cloth hit Papyrus on the side of his head, covering his face. It looked like it hit him rather hard, but all that came out of him was an amused ‘nyeh’. As soon as I made sure he wasn’t going to drop me, I looked over to where Sans’s voice had come from.

 

I was surprised to see him wearing clothes. Well, on his upper body at least. He had on a simple white shirt with leather shoulder armor and was in the process of tying what might have been the brightest blue piece of cloth I had ever seen in my life around his neck. He must have stolen that from quite the rich family. Only the richest could afford blue dye like that.

 

“THERE, ALL READY TO GO!”

 

“me too.”

 

My head whipped around to see Papyrus wearing a simple but bright orange, waist length hooded peasant dress. Wait, how?! When?!

 

Before I could think on it for too long though, I was sat on the ground. It took me a moment to figure out how legs worked again after being carried and sitting for a while, but it felt good to stretch my legs for a moment and decide for myself where I wanted to go.

 

Only then did Papyrus drag his huge, inert body out of the water. Despite how clumsy he looked, he was able to give himself a mighty shake though, sending water drops flying everywhere over the grass.

 

“so kid, what’s it gonna be? my back or sans’? mine is softer.”

 

I looked over to see for myse— was that furlike stuff that ran down his spine to the tip of his tail always there?

 

“or, maybe you rather walk all the way to the village?”

 

It did look soft, but…

 

“Maybe I’ll just, walk for now.”

 

I just wanted to appreciate the fact that I could run away if needed to for a little while longer. Even if I wouldn’t need to.

 

“OKAY THEN! JUST FOLLOW US, HUMAN!”

 

* * *

 

I did end up riding on Sans’s back. This crater, or whatever it was, was way larger than it seemed at first. And when the fields of the village finally came into view my legs were starting to hurt again. And the idea of getting the chance to ride on a dragon’s back was just way too badass to pass up on. Sans just looked like the smoother ride.

 

It was a little like sitting on a horse again, only there were smooth scales underneath me instead of leather. Because of his larger form, I was swaying with his movements quite a lot more. But I think if I had sat on Papyrus I might have gotten sick.

 

He actually slithered. He used his paws to get a bit of traction, but most of his movement came from his snake-like body and long tail pushing him forward. The more skeletal part of his body hovered uptight over the ground, but the rest of his body was swaying back and forth to an absurd level.

 

‘Side to side, sway sway, don’t mind the people on the farms staring at you, left to right.’

 

I startled as something was suddenly dangled in my face. Literally against my face, instantly and effectively drawing my mind away from all other thoughts. It was soft. So soft that for five full seconds I was having trouble to decide if I wanted to swat it away or just stay like that. I decided on the former, wanting to see what it was.

 

Orange. It was orange fur. A large tassel of it. Connected to a long, orange tail. I gave Papyrus a confused look.

 

“you’ve been staring for a while now. since you preferred my brother’s back, i just guessed you were curious if i really was that soft but didn’t want to ask.”

 

Oh thank God. I hadn’t been thinking about that at that exact moment, but I certainly had wondered how the weird-looking fur would feel. I reached up, gently catching the brush between my hands. In an instant, I was unsure if I’d be able to let go if he asked me to.

 

So. Soft!

 

I had pet a rabbit's fur before near the hunter’s cabin once (and gotten a whack on the head for it), but even that couldn’t compare to this. It was almost like touching water, slipping easily through my rough hands without any snagging. But it had a defined, solid shape, and it was warm. And even though it barely seemed to weigh anything in my hand, it always bounced back into that elegant curl.

 

“i’m kinda surprised you didn’t ask anything about why we need a treasure either. usually that’s one of the first things people demand to know about.”

 

I blushed slightly, almost dropping the soft tail as Papyrus's voice broke through my hypnotic fascination with his soft fur. It had crossed my mind at some point, but…

 

“I just assumed it was a dragon thing.”

 

Papyrus chuckled. “naaah, not rea- actually, it might be a dragon thing. sans tends to get this look in his eyes when he sees something shiny.”

 

“IT’S PRETTY.” The blue dragon piped up, as if it was the most insignificant thing to talk about.

 

“yeah, okay. main reason is to help people though.”

 

I frowned, feeling just a spark of annoyance in my chest. “Help? Dozens of innocent people get sent up to die in the mountains for that treasure!”

 

“and who do they get sent to?”

 

I opened my mouth to argue, and the next second I realized. “Oh.”

 

“they ain’t gonna die if they don’t deserve to, remember?” Papyrus told me with a little wink. Still a bit unsettling to think he had eaten humans without letting them out afterward.

 

“WHEN IT COMES TO THE HUMANS THAT GET SENT TO US, WE DO GET A FEW BAD PEOPLE SOMETIMES. BUT USUALLY, THE MAJORITY OF THEM DIDN’T DO ANYTHING BAD ENOUGH THAT THEY COULDN’T BE A GOOD PERSON ANYMORE. A LOT OF THEM JUST MADE A DUMB DECISION BECAUSE THEY WERE DESPERATE OR NOT IN THE RIGHT MIND.”

 

“case in point, first way we help. we steal from the snobs that hoard all the riches for themselves. and as normal people can pay less, prices go down and the money of the rich can suddenly buy way more. so we go down and take some, mess with their property, take them down a notch so the gap isn’t as preposterous anymore.”

 

“YEAH! LIKE THAT ONE HUMAN FROM THAT BOOK YOU ONCE READ TO ME WHEN I WAS JUST A LITTLE WORM! WHAT WAS HE CALLED AGAIN? A CLOAKED BIRD OR SOMETHING?”

 

“robin hood.”

 

“THAT’S THE GUY!” Sans put a little bounce in his step and started humming some kind of tune.

 

“other reason: helping people out. people get poor because the rich get everything. so sometimes, someone that’s hungry might find a few ‘lost’ coins in their empty fruit baskets.”

 

“OR THE HOLY OLD NICK MIGHT STOP BY WITH A GIFT SO YOU CAN GET YOUR LEAKY SHOES FIXED!”

 

Instantly a small memory came to mind. A moment where we hadn’t eaten for days because the rent had taken up all our money. And when I had tried putting on my shoes there had been a coin hidden under my sole. I remember I had wondered if I hid it there at some point, but I instantly had run to the baker and gotten us bread. Of course mother accused me of holding back money, but at least we ate that night.

 

I looked back up at Papyrus with wide eyes, who gave me a little wink. "looks like you had a lucky moment kid. ‘s just sad that not all people can always be lucky to have a decent life.”

 

“USUALLY THE PEOPLE THAT WILLINGLY CHALLENGE ME TO BATTLE ARE FAME AND FORTUNE SEEKERS, BUT SOMETIMES PEOPLE COME UP HERE BECAUSE THEY HAVE SO LITTLE. THIS ONE TIME THERE WAS A YOUNG MAN THAT CAME WITH NOTHING BUT A FISHING SPEAR AND WOODEN SHIELD. HE TRIED TO JUST SNATCH SOME COINS AND LEAVE, BUT I SAW AND CHALLENGED HIM. IF HE WON HE COULD TAKE THE COINS. HE WAS VERY HUNGRY THOUGH AND GOT TIRED FAST.“

 

Sans frowned deeply, looking melancholy with just a hint of anger in his eyes.

 

“HE STILL BEGGED ME TO LET HIM TAKE THE COINS BACK, BECAUSE HIS GRANDMOTHER WAS SICK AND SHE WAS THE ONLY ONE IN HIS FAMILY WHO STILL CARED FOR HIM. HE HAD HEARD THERE WAS SOMEONE THAT SOLD A POWERFUL MEDICINE NEAR A FOREST IN THE SOUTH, BUT IT WAS A LONG TRAVEL AND THE MEDICINE VERY EXPENSIVE.”

 

“So, what did you do?”

 

The dragon grinned wide, showing just a hint of those long fangs hidden behind his normal looking teeth. Just for a moment, I wished I had picked Papy’s back instead.

 

“I KIDNAPPED HIS GRANDMA ALONG WITH A FEW IMPORTANT POSSESSIONS AND BURNED THEIR SHACK OF A HOME TO THE GROUND, THEN BROUGHT THEM HERE.”

 

Behind me, I heard Papyrus give a soft click and mumbled “westerns.” under his breath.

 

“BOTH OF THEM ARE DOING MUCH BETTER NOW! THE MAN NOW HAS A GOOD JOB AND HIS GRANDMA CAN TEND TO HER FLOWERS AGAIN.”

 

And he was back to his happy smiling self, tail wagging behind us happily. I almost forgot why my heart was beating a mile a minute again. Noticing how quiet I got, and the way Papyrus was staring at me, Sans turned to look at me again. His face sobering instantly.

 

“HUMA- CHARA, DID I SCARE YOU?”

 

I swallowed. “A little.”

 

His face fell even more. I might have flinched as he reached out and pulled me off his back and into his arms, just like right after that battle with him.

 

“I’M SO SORRY. I DIDN’T MEAN TO MAKE YOU FEEL UNSAFE. I WOULD NEVER HURT SOMEONE. BUT WE HAVE A REPUTATION TO UPHOLD, OTHERWISE, PEOPLE WOULD ATTACK US IN DROVES AND THEN FIGHT EACH OTHER OVER THE TREASURE.”

 

“if they’d even get to that part.” I could hear Papyrus hiss softly, and I cast a glance at him to see orange light flicker out in his socket.

 

“I HAVE TO ADMIT THOUGH, I CAN GET A BIT OVERZEALOUS UP WHEN I’M HAVING FUN. BUT I REALLY WOULD NEVER HARM ANYONE. NOT EVEN IF PAPY SAYS THEY DESERVE IT.”

 

I just shook my head and forced a smile. It wasn’t that hard for some reason, even if I had to consciously put it on my face.

 

“I…believe you. You just surprised me.”

 

He looked like he wanted to say more to that, but as he barely opened his mouth a cheer reached our ears.

 

“Sans and Papy are back!”

 

Looking up again I realized we were entering the village. Talk about a successful distraction. Children were running up to us, cheering and looking at the two dragons in a way similar I had seen children running up to a knight passing through our village. Unlike those stuck up knights though, Papyrus chuckled warmly while Sans threw the excited kids a smile.

 

Something about that smile still seemed a little tense though, so I stretched out my hand and lightly touched it to his jaw. He gave me a confused look, so I give him the widest genuine smile I could. And for the first time in a long while, it didn’t feel as fake as it usually did.

 

The big goof was no bad guy. Even if there was a bit of pugnacity and a pyromaniac streak there, he clearly cared about others and how they thought of him. Even in my cynical mind, I couldn’t really picture him as a villain. Maybe as one of those too large dogs that knocked small kids over when they get too excited, but definitely not a biter.

 

The look he gave me was surprised for a few long seconds, but then it shifted back into that wide happy smile that looked so much better on his face. He turned that smile to greet the newcomers again.

 

“HELLO THERE LITTLE HUMAN FRIENDS!”

 

“heya kiddos.”

 

Several of the children were crowding around Sans’s front paws, smiling up at him like he was a hero, or a popular adult at least. Some even reached up their hands to pull at his shirt in an attempt to get his attention. And others yet seemed perfectly content with climbing around or just flopping down along Papyrus's back, fingers eagerly finding his soft fur.

 

“Sans! You’re back again!”

 

“Hi Papyrus!”

 

“Back so soon again? You were here just yesterday.”

 

“Can you stay a bit longer this time?”

 

“Is this a new person?”

 

“Are they another one of those people that get forced to fight you?”

 

“They’re so young!”

  
  


“What’s your name?”

 

“Did you get knight training?”

 

I felt a wave of relief sweeping through me as a long tail gently pushed the curious children a little further away from me. “wooooooaah there little urchins. kid’s new here and they got a bit of a scare.”

 

“Didn’t we all?”

 

Most of the kids actually laughed at that, some more heartily while others looked a bit embarrassed.

 

“yeh, i’ll give you that. but i think chara’s a little shy and might need a-rest.”

 

“Well, I’m not exactly going to lock them up, but if they want I can give them a private place to calm down.”

 

I didn’t even notice someone new had approached the group, and now that I did see the owner of the deeper voice I started kinda rethinking my ‘am I in hell or not?’ theory again.

 

This dude was literally every depiction if Satan ever. A tall, hairy figure, enormous paws with wickedly sharp looking claws. Under his long robe there were peeking two cloven hooves and to top it all off there sat a goat’s head on his strong neck, curved horns and all but with sharp teeth. Only his color wasn’t quite as hellish, with pretty white fur. He even has a few braids with pink ribbons in his golden mane.

 

Papyrus greeted the depiction of the devil himself with a warm familiarity in his voice. “hey there old man. how’s your day been so far? because we’re here to spice it up a bit.”

 

“MISTER ASGORE SIR, WE GOT ANOTHER HUMAN!”

 

I desperately scrabbled to hold on to Sans’s arms as he held me out toward the beast. He just gave me a smile, his eyes a bit sad but mostly amused. Kinda like some  _ other _ certain monster I knew.

 

“It’s alright, fear not my child. I know my appearance doesn’t quite agree with your upbringing, but I assure you that I’m no harbinger of evil or suffering. I simply wish to help you and other people that have been and will be in your situation. My name is Asgore, caretaker of the crater.”

 

Yeah, very reassuring dude, like the devil isn’t known for decei-

 

And that’s when I noticed a smaller form behind him. There, hidden behind and clutching to his robe, was a tinier, maneless version of the goat. He wore a large green and yellow striped sweater, and there seemed to be small yellow flowers sticking out from between the fur around his…wait, did both of these goats have long, floppy ears? I did a double take to see that, yeah, they did.

 

The smaller goat was staring back at me with his big doe-eyes; shy, but also unmistakably curious.

 

“Ah, I see you’ve noticed my son, Asriel. Would you maybe be more comfortable if he came to greet you?”

 

The little guy didn’t look so bad. He seemed pretty docile. But there was still distrust crawling along my spine and banging a hammer on my head, telling me to be cautious of anyone. Anyone and everyone could have selfish intentions with me.

 

Unsure, I turned my eyes to the two dragons. I still wasn’t sure why I trusted them after such a short time, but at least I could rationalize to myself that I trusted them just a bit more than this goat man.

 

“hey, no need to look at me like that kiddo, of the four of us those two fluffy boys are the biggest softies here. asgore might be an old, anthropomorphic goat, but he ain’t old-testament old.  _ i _ ’m nearly old-testament old.”

 

…really?!

 

That little piece of information stunned me long enough that Sans was able to set me down in front of said old goat. Still didn’t change the fact that my legs instantly started to shake when I realized it.

 

The white-furred creature gave me a, dare I say it, fatherly smile. He slowly lowered himself until he was sitting on his knees, getting dirt on his white and purple and undoubtedly expensive robe. Okay, that actually deserves some respect point. He even hunched his shoulders and ducked his head slightly just to get our faces at roughly the same height.

 

“Welcome dear child. We don’t often get any people quite so young, but I assure you that we have everything you might need. If you wish we have a school, but if academics aren’t your strong suit we can always find if there is a tutor for any skill you like. There is a home for children if you want, or you could decide to join a family, or we can even let you live on your own with some guidance to help you figure anything out. You can choose whatever you like. But for now, how about some rest? And maybe then an explanation with a nice cup of tea?”

 

I was opening and closing my mouth at his point, unsure what to do. It sounded good, too good maybe. In some ways this is what I wanted. But to have all of it handed to me on a silver platter. It just sounded too good to be true.

 

Once again my eyes searched for the two demons I knew, but both seemed to have wandered off to play with the kids. Sans was nearby wrestling with some of the children. He was clearly not letting them win, but every move was calculated and he closely observed what was going on around him so he wouldn’t accidentally hit or crush a single child. Their sheer numbers would overwhelm him sooner or later. And Papyrus…

 

“nom.”

 

A startled little shriek left my throat before I realized or allowed it to. It was just really damn unsettling to see him sitting there with a tiny girl halfway inside his mouth, hidden fangs lightly clamped around her middle. As soon as he saw my face though he instantly let go and sat back upright. I was astonished to hear her let out an obvious sound of disappointment though.

 

I instantly swiped around as I felt something immensely soft (but not quite as soft as Papyrus's fur) take hold of my hand though. It was the smaller goat, Asriel, giving me a warm smile.

 

“It’s okay. Some of the other kids like it when he does that, either to play or to take a nap in there. Let’s go home so we can get you something more comfortable to wear.”

 

I couldn’t even properly process what he said before he started dragging me along though, with the larger- Asgore, following behind. I allowed it. This didn’t quite seem like hell. Purgatory maybe? Or even still the living world? I could live with that.

 

“Your name was Chara, right? You’re gonna love it here! We all care for and help each other here. We grow our own food and make our own stuff. We can get you a nice place to stay. Dad can help you make a list of everything you need. Do you have any hobbies? Do you like drawing? I have tons of drawings back home, you can use my pencils if you want!”

 

Heh, silly little goat. I could see what he was doing. Being excited and talking about nice things to distract me from watching eyes and my own discomfort. I appreciated it though.

 

But even through his babbling I could still hear the slightly softer, but still audible:

 

“nom.”


End file.
